


The Man Behind The Monitor

by CavannaRose



Series: Rose Wilson Fics [27]
Category: Deathstroke the Terminator (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Hunting, Team Up, Technobabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2019-11-16 03:36:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18086678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CavannaRose/pseuds/CavannaRose
Summary: Rose turns to Kuttler for help with some unfamiliar tech. Where it leads will put them both in danger.





	1. Chapter 1

She’d tracked every lead, followed every identified member of the splinter cell, and come up empty handed. She wasn’t a bad hunter, but these fuckers had tech that she couldn’t even begin to wrap her head around. She was a low tech gal, for the most part, she could track her targets even through the concrete jungle, but these bastards were freaking ghosts, and even Rose Wilson could admit when she was out of her depth.

Information. That was what she needed most right now, and as loathe as she was to admit it, there was only one man who could provide it for her. Dealing with the Cheetos-fingered nerd was not her idea of a fun Friday night, but no one could deny that Calculator was the best at what he did. Pausing to fix her hair in a shop window, she sighed. She’d have to be as pleasant as she was capable of, the bastard was notoriously tetchy about how he was treated. She couldn’t blame him, but she could certainly dislike it.

Three blocks later she was lifting his window and sliding in, unconcerned by whatever alarms she might set off. “Noah! I know you’re in here, you never leave you damn shut-in. Where are you, I need some fucking information!” That was… polite… ish. Polite for Rose, anyway. She grimaced. People. Dealing with them was the absolute worst. She moved through the room, approaching the massive wall of monitors that made her skin crawl. "Come on, Kuttler. I don't have all day."

He stepped up behind her with a mug of coffee in his hand. Leaning against the door frame he looked at her in the light of the monitors. _Why did the pretty ones always have to be a pain in his ass?_ For whatever reason - in his head it was because they _were_ pretty little things - they thought they had the right to just break-in to his place whenever they felt the itch. If only they did it so he could scratch other things for them, but he was digressing, and it wasn’t like him to allow his thoughts to wander when facing an interloper. Rose could feel him staring behind her, but fought to remain at ease. He wasn’t a threat, not face to face like this. Give him his computers and some distance, Kuttler could be scary as all fuck, but if she could put her hands on him? A joke. No competition. None of that mattered, of course, since she currently needed him. His help. She needed his help. He wasn’t that bad, to be fair, she was just in a foul mood, as usual.

Christ and they said there were no honor among thieves. If only the goddamn white hats and hybrids could take a page from kids in Arkham and Blackgate he might not have to worry about security measures. No one was welcome into his home. It might be his office on off hours, but it was still his home. "Then maybe you should have phoned my dear." He finally responded, his tone unamused.

Pushing off the door frame he walked towards his chair. His hand pushing her out of his way with two fingers placed against her upper bicep. "If you'll excuse me." He says sitting down again. His hand grabbing the racquetball off the console. Noah grips the small blue ball and looks up at her. "What don't you have all day for my dear? Do tell. I'm thrilled to know why you felt the need to interrupt my evening."

She raised an eyebrow at his arch tone, and the two fingered shove, though she allowed him to move her out of the way. With a calm breath, she once more reminded herself that she was supposed to be pleasant. Agreeable. Noah was a big help, but you had to stroke that massive damn ego of his first. “I would phone, Calcy, but then you’d know I was coming ahead of time and might up your security. I’d hate to have to work even harder to get into your… office.” Moving up beside him, she leaned against his desk, careful to avoid any of the tech he had on there. She wouldn’t make _that_ mistake a second time. You would have thought she’d shot his dog or something. “I’m tracking some lowlifes, crime syndicate types. Real organized, real fucking sneaky. Every time I think I’ve got them, the fuckers vanish.”

She dug into her pouches, pulling out a slim grey wristband. She had no idea what the tech was, though it was slick, and she placed it gently in the clear place he’d just picked up the racquetball from. “I nabbed this off one of the bodies after our last encounter. I think it’s what’s helping them blink out of existence. I knew if anyone could track them through it, or even negate whatever it was doing, it was you. I know I’m a pain in the ass, but you know I can pay. What do you think, Noah, can you figure it out? You’re my best bet on this one.” She offered him a thin smile.

"Look at you sweet talking me." He said with a grin that only made her skin crawl a little bit. His hand picked up the band, fingers rubbing the material. It reminded him of one of those Fitbit Fitness trackers. At the center of the band was a sensor component. Black surgical-grade stainless steel, with premium PVD plating that looked similar to his smart watch. The band is made of genuine leather. The material is soft, the buckle made of aluminum.

Pressing the back of the band he pushed the small device out of its casing. He glanced up at Rose before moving closer to the console. He examined the sides of the small device and then opened a drawer, pulling out a wire. He connected the device to one end and then the USB male cable to the female input. Once more he glanced up at Rose, a thin smile on his face. She met his gaze with careful blankness.

His hands swept the keyboard off the console and he leaned back in his chair, fingers running over the keys. He quarantined the device to a server to isolate the tech from his system. A series of coordinates scrolled down one of the monitors. A few taps of the keys and the locations appeared on a map. While each is an individual location the jumps all seem to originate from an original location. As he worked, his tongue slips between his teeth. The information broker focusing. Slipping into the zone as he let his eyes move over the streams of data. His teeth press down, cutting into the flesh not hard enough to draw blood but the pain starting to cut deep. He then pulled his hands off the keys as if a shock of electricity surged through the smooth plastic keys. Noah clicked his tongue and looks at the silver-haired mercenary. “My dear you really do have a way of finding trouble don’t you?”


	2. Chapter 2

Watching Noah work was always an experience. Though she had no idea what he was doing, and really no interest in knowing, he was clearly an expert. That’s why she kept turning to him time and time again. She got some flack for fraternizing with the criminal element, but Rose wasn’t really hung up on the morals of her sources, or morals in general. If someone had the knowledge or expertise that she needed to complete a job, then she would use them. Period. It wasn’t her fault that the supposed bad guys always had better access than the good ones. She was no Batbrat with access to millions of dollars and all that Waynetech. She worked with what she had.

Rose gave the man a half-smile, closer to a smirk, but still this side of pleasant. “You’ve met me, Kuttler. If there’s trouble out there to find, I’ll be ass deep in it faster than you can blink. It’s kind of what I’m known for.” She allowed the expression to spread into a real smile. “Hell, it’s what I’m good at. I assume by all the key-tapping and action on the screens there that you’ve figured it all out?” She made a show of checking her wrist, though there was no watch there. “I think it might be record time, even for you.”

One hand on the back of his chair, she leaned closer to the monitor, studying the map he had keyed up. It was outside her usual patrol area, but she thought she knew the district. Unfamiliar territory always got her back up, but it wasn’t the Calculator’s fault. He did his job, and he did it well. Straightening, she pulled a wad of grubby and crumpled bills held together with a rubber band from one of her pouches, dropping it down on the desk beside the information broker. “Of everyone I work with, Kuttler, you never fail to pull through. Once more I am fucking impressed. Can you print that map out for me?”

He glanced at the band of bills and cringed, a soft sigh falling from his lips. Noah looked up at her and then back at the payment. Rose’s face darkened a bit as she read the judgement clear on his face. She was being nice, but if he said a damn thing then he would be making a trip to the emergency room tonight. The idea of him laying there with a wad of bills so far up his ass that he needed to have them extracted medically was not almost soothing against her abraded temper. Surprisingly, though, he held his peace, and the moment passed. Part of Rose regretted the loss of the chance for violence, but mostly she was glad. It was bad business to mess up your best source of information, and she had enough of a reputation for being erratic, she definitely didn’t need to add to it.

Kuttler’s hand reached over to the keyboard and he printed out the map for her. “My dear we need to work on your transaction skills.” He said, picking up the band of cash with his fingertips as if it was plagued. “And perhaps your tech.” He mentioned with a tone of disgust in his voice at the lack of both. “Even Killer Croc pays using ‘Cash Me’.”

Rose quirked an eyebrow at the comment. “How ‘bout that?” Getting up he walked over to the printer. She was glad he didn’t bother trying to send it to her electronically. She’d bricked another phone just last week, and was back to burner flip phones like some kind of drug lord. Actually, she was pretty sure her current phone had come off the body of a drug lord just last week.

Walking back towards her, he held out the paper. “If you ever want to step into the present day please let me know. It does pain me to see technology challenged people such as yourself out there in the wilderness.” he said with a grin.

Okay that one, that was funny, and almost against her own better interest Rose’s lips twitched up into a grin at the information broker. “Now Noah, if I had that kind of tech at my fingertips, I’d have to come up with even more outrageous excuses to indulge in the pleasure of your company. You go ahead with your infinitely trackable little pocket computer. I tend to prefer to find myself… less detectable.” She couldn’t pick a fight with Kuttler, not after he came through for her like this, so she fell back on her second best skill. Flirtation. He certainly seemed to enjoy the exchange better when it went that way.

Still, she couldn’t help but tease the man a little. “I was thinking of getting a ‘Zune though. Did you know those things can hold like, a hundred songs? That should make stakeouts easier.” She ducked her head, letting her hair fall over her face in order to partly obscure the grin threatening to split her face in half. So maybe tech wasn’t her strongest suit, but she wasn’t a fucking dinosaur. She just didn’t believe in banks. Cash was immutable and constant. Hell, if she could figure out a way to carry it comfortable without it clanking, she was going to pay Noah in gold bars next time. See if she didn’t.

Examining the map carefully as she schooled her expression into its usual scowl of mild disinterest, Rose chewed on her lip. She knew the place outlined, and was mad that her own deductive skills hadn’t brought her there. “Keep the tech for whatever purpose you want, or toss it, I’ve got no use for the stuff. Just don’t use it to break too many laws, I don’t want the Scooby Squad raining down on me for aiding and abetting wanted criminals… Again. If I get anything else, I’ll be back.” She headed to the window, folding the paper and tucking it into her top. She had the route memorized, but she’d paid for the thing, she was going to take it with her. “If you see Croc before I come back around, tell him to google the Doodly Doo song. I think he’ll like it.”


	3. Chapter 3

Noah grinned at her, speaking as he stood up. "Please don't do that on my account my dear." He adjusted his glasses as he watched Rose. He was always watching her, the fucking creep. It made her skin crawl. It always felt like he was trying to figure out what to do with her, and no one used Rose Wilson, especially not some poindexter with a digital hard-on.  "Give my regards to Daddy." He smirked again, and she barely repressed the urge to plant her fist in his smug face. "Oh wait, I'll do that for you." He added, putting his hands in his pockets.

Rose froze, her spine going rigid, and all trace of humour dropping from her expression. She slowly pivoted on her heel, scowling darkly at Noah. “I let you get away with a lot, Kuttler, because you’re the best at what you do, but don’t for one fucking moment think that you’re not replaceable. There’s a million little eggheads tucked away in basements just waiting for the chance to earn some cash doing the stalker-ish crap they’re already engaging in.” She resisted the urge to step forward, to get into his personal space. The rage bubbled inside her like a living thing, clawing at her throat, demanding release. How dare the fucking twerp threaten her?

She fought against her violent impulses, struggling for control. She couldn’t let the fucking Calculator get the better of her, not with such an easy dig. Finally, she swallowed the urge to rip his smirking face off with her bare hands, and simply gritted her teeth. “If you mention me to Slade, I will creep into your bedroom one lonely night and forcibly feed you your own testicles through your nostrils. Do you understand?” She took another breath, ran a hand through her hair. That was not going to get her anywhere, though they both knew she was being serious. She’d done it once, to some thug claiming he’d boned the Ravager in a bar one night. She hadn’t removed the testicles first either. The more colourful versions of the story insisted that she had enjoyed it, and they might be right. Violence soothed her in a way that wasn’t entirely mentally healthy.

“I pay you the big bucks to keep my business quiet, Kuttler. That includes the fact that we have business at all. I’d think you were smart enough to understand that concept at least.” There. That tone was … well, not civil, but at least devoid of the blood-boiling desire to eviscerate the fucking asshole. She’d ruffled his feathers, he’d ruffled hers back, and for once she was going to try to leave it at that. Finding another tech-head at this stage of the game would be damned exhausting, not to mention she hated the whole fucking classification of persons. Next time she’d go to Nigma. The prattling ninny was at least as high on himself as Kuttler, but he was also so involved in his schemes and technological toys that he didn’t flirt. Rose wasn’t even sure if the Riddler even was aware she was female.

Noah was going to be a problem though, she could feel it in her bones. She didn’t need her precognition to tell that something was stewing under the slimy scumbag’s skin. Instead of being cowed by her threats, he offered her a mocking smile and a half bow. “Now now, Rosie. It’s just business. Some people have more cash to throw around then others, and what’s a business man to do but accept what comes his way?” _Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck._ Slade was paying Kuttler for dirt on her? It was her fault, of course. She was becoming too predictable. Staying in the same place. Using the same sources.

She calmed the panic inside her with a breath, shoving it way deep down inside, beneath the rage that pooled at her centre. The heat of it warming her, soothing her jagged edges. Leaning against the windowsill in feigned nonchalance, she pulled a blade from her boot, testing the edges against the wood frame. She could hear Kuttler’s small sound of disgruntlement, but didn’t let that distract her. She needed to make it as clear to the maggot as possible that selling her out would be his last mistake. A cruel grin spread across her face, her shoulders relaxed, and she looked over at him with the controlled violence of a true predator. “Noah…”

The husky edge of her voice caught the Calculator’s attention. She watched his Adam’s apple bob as she struggled to swallow under the intensity of her one-eyed glare. “Just remember Slade might kill you, but me? I will dismember you. I will take you apart, piece by piece, and forcibly feed each of those pieces to you through whatever orifice tickles my fancy. I don’t have my father’s fabled efficiency quite mastered, but what I do have is a very creative mind and a raging sea of vengeance inside me.” Her eye bored into his, pinning him into place as she slid from the windowsill, crossing the room with hips that swayed seductively.

She was walking menace, the barely contained violence of her radiated towards the criminal as she stalked ever closer. He stood still, shaking a little, and his voice broke when he spoke. “I wouldn’t recommend doing that, Rose. I have… I have protections set in place you know. If I were you I wouldn’t get me angry!” The threat was rendered less effective by the way he whipped around when she slunk behind him, unwilling to have her outside of his range of vision.

“I’m sure your protections are very effective for anyone who gives a fuck, Noah, but to be honest I don’t. I’m sure you’ve heard that about me, through your little bad guy gossip vines. I’m reckless. Uncaring. I don’t have an exit strategy, just a blade and a willingness to use it and damn the fucking consequences.” She moved closer, practically breathing on him she was so near, though not quite touching. “Protections sound an awful lot like those consequences I don’t give a fuck about.” She nicked his face with her blade, drawing a line of blood, before licking it from his cheek.

In a blur of motion, she was suddenly gone. The curtains by the window swung, and Noah lifted a hand to his damp, bloody cheek. “Fucking psychopaths, the whole damn lot of them.”


End file.
